The BulleTin • Friday, June 4, 2021 B9
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
A mountain biker rides along a section of Skyliner Trail on Wednesday.
Tumalo Ridge-Skyliners Loop
Biking
Continued from B1
The trail soon thereafter
transitioned to a downhill
stretch as the trees gave way
to thick manzanita. Mount
Bachelor and Tumalo Moun-
tain came into view to the west,
as did Broken Top and South
Sister, their snowy flanks con-
trasting brilliantly with the
bright blue sky.
More climbing was to come,
and the trail eventually turned
into rocky doubletrack wind-
ing up to the Swede Ridge
Shelter. I began climbing, and
along the way, I looked to the
right and saw Tumalo Falls
from a mile away: an interest-
ing view of the popular falls,
revealing the enormity of the
surrounding forest.
The doubletrack climb was
relatively challenging as it just
seemed to keep going. The
climb is a bit longer and more
gradual than the climb up
Tumalo Ridge. I had to stop
and walk in some places, but
I finally reached Swede Ridge
Shelter after about 1,000 feet of
elevation gain.
I took a break at the shelter,
located at about 6,000 feet with
more dramatic views of Broken
Top and South Sister.
The shelter is there primar-
ily for cross-country skiers to
warm themselves inside during
the winter, but it also serves as
a pit stop for trail-weary moun-
tain bikers in summer and fall.
From the Swede Ridge Shel-
ter, mountain bikers have a
TOP PICKS
few options. They can take the
Swede Ridge Trail west, then
descend the South Fork and
Tumalo Creek trails back to
Skyliner Sno-park. According
to bendtrails.org, South Fork is
now clear of trees with only a
couple of small snow patches.
Another option is to head
east on the Sector 16, Upper
Whoops and Skyliner trails
back to Skyliner sno-park.
Because South Fork still had
significant snow last week, I
turned onto the Sector 16 Trail,
a rolling, twisting downhill
stretch with numerous sharp
turns deep in the trees.
The trail eventually con-
nected to Upper Whoops, a
fast descent that includes some
bermed corners and small
jumps. But that section does
WHERE TO EXPLORE
High Desert hot spots
C ove Palisades State Park — In the middle of High Desert plateaus of sagebrush, the Crooked, Deschutes
and Metolius rivers meet and form Lake Billy Chinook. Dammed in 1964, the long arms of the lake are great
escapes from the summer heat for fishing, water skiing or just floating the day away. If you decide to fish the
Metolius Arm, you’ll need a tribal angling permit from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Because the
area is a state park, $5 day-use permits are required or a year pass is accepted.
Redmond Caves — Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the caves on the south end of Redmond
are close enough and short enough to explore in just a few hours. The five lava caves near the Redmond
airport formed from the Newberry Caldera over 60 miles south and have been used for over 6,000 years to
Native Americans and now, day explorers. Great for escaping the summer heat, make sure you bring at least
three light sources, water, sturdy shoes and watch for rattlesnakes.
Willow Creek Canyon Trail — Just west of Madras under the train trestle bridge is the trailhead for the 6
mile one-way trail that connects to Lake Simtustus. Following its namesake of Willow Creek the trail follows
old railroad grades and dips through rock cuts that make for nice climbing opportunities as well as some
stunning High Desert topography. Bring plenty of water as the dusty trail can get very hot.
not include the more massive
jumps and features of Lower
Whoops, so Upper Whoops is
more approachable for the av-
erage mountain biker. (Lower
Whoops is currently closed on
weekdays due to a U.S. Forest
Service thinning project. It is
open from 3 p.m. on Fridays
until sunset on Sundays.)
From the bottom of Upper
Whoops, I connected to the
Skyliners Trail to finish the
ride. The cross-country route
led me 4 miles back to Skyliner
Sno-park.
This loop can also be rid-
Directions: Head 10 miles west of Bend on Skyliners Road to Skyliner
Sno-park on the left.
Distance: 13.5 miles, two to three hours.
Elevation gain: 1,400 feet.
Trail features: Challenging climbs and fast descents along single-
track, with numerous mountain views along the way.
Rating: Technically intermediate and aerobically strenuous.
Season: Late spring through fall.
den in the opposite direction,
starting up the Skyliners Trail
and finishing with a descent of
Tumalo Ridge.
The 13.5-mile ride took a lit-
tle more than two hours, with
about 1,400 feet of climbing. It
was a challenging but not over-
whelming loop, one of many
options for mountain bikers
as the snow disappears in the
Central Oregon high country.
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